Chapter 114: I like you
Clara sat on the couch inside Dominic’s private suite, her cheeks still puffed in protest.
She folded her arms tightly across her chest.
"I’m still upset with you."
Dominic, however, acted as though he hadn’t heard a single word.
He calmly slipped off his suit jacket and draped it neatly over the back of a chair.
Clara watched him curiously.
Then she saw him loosen his tie.
One by one, he undid the top two buttons of his shirt before rolling up his sleeves to his forearms.
Her eyes widened.
"...What are you doing?"
Dominic didn’t answer.
He simply continued preparing what he was doing.
At that very moment, Clara heard his familiar inner voice.
"Why do you have to talk so much, Wifey? I’m just trying to clean you up."
Clara instantly froze.
Her eyes darted toward herself.
Flour still dusted her apron.
There were tiny streaks of icing on one sleeve, and a faint smudge of chocolate somehow decorated the side of her cheek.
She wrinkled her nose.
...Okay.
Maybe I really do need a cleanup.
Then another thought crossed her mind.
Wait...
Did he just complain that I talk too much?
Her eyes narrowed.
How dare he.
She secretly imagined giving him a light smack on the forehead.
You’re the quiet one here! Someone has to keep the conversation alive.
Dominic turned around just in time to see her glaring at him.
"What?"
Clara quickly looked away.
"Nothing."
"Hm."
He clearly didn’t believe her.
After washing his hands, he walked over to the cabinet, took out a first-aid kit and a clean towel, then looked back at Clara.
"All right."
He closed the kit.
"Time to clean you up."
Before Clara could process what he meant, Dominic bent down, slipped one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees.
In one smooth motion...
He lifted her into his arms.
"Ah!"
Clara let out a startled yelp and instinctively wrapped both arms around his shoulders to steady herself.
"Dom!"
"What?"
"You could’ve warned me!"
"I just did."
"No, you didn’t!"
"I said it was time to clean up."
"I thought you meant my hands!"
Dominic looked at her with complete seriousness.
"I did."
"...Then why am I in the air?"
"It’s faster."
Clara blinked.
"...That’s your explanation?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a long moment before sighing dramatically.
"You really skipped the Chapter on romance, didn’t you?"
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"I carried my wife."
"You carried me like a sack of potatoes."
"A very talkative sack of potatoes."
Clara gasped. "I can’t believe you just compared me to potatoes."
"You spent half the day surrounded by them."
"...That’s not the point!"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Dominic’s lips as he carried her toward the bathroom.
The moment they entered, he gently set her down on the closed toilet lid before crouching in front of her.
"Stay still."
Clara looked down at him and muttered under her breath,
"I’ve decided..."
"Hm?"
"I’m definitely telling Dad you’ve been bullying me all day."
Without looking up, Dominic replied calmly,
"Go ahead."
"He’ll scold you."
"He’ll try."
Clara couldn’t help laughing.
Even while tending to the small cuts on her hand, her husband somehow managed to argue with her without raising his voice once. It was, she decided, a talent only Dominic Sterling possessed.
***
After dropping Lily off at the bakery, Hannah insisted on driving Mark to Heaven International.
Mark had tried to refuse several times.
"Miss Hannah, I can take a taxi."
"It’s on my way."
"It really isn’t."
"It is now."
Mark sighed in defeat.
"...I wasn’t prepared for how stubborn the Sterling siblings are."
Hannah chuckled but said nothing.
The rest of the drive passed in comfortable silence.
Then, instead of heading toward Heaven International, Hannah suddenly turned the steering wheel.
Mark noticed immediately.
He recognized the road.
It was the same cliff.
The place where Hannah had once stood heartbroken, trying to convince herself to let Eric go.
He glanced at her but chose not to ask anything.
A few minutes later, the car came to a stop.
Hannah switched off the engine, unfastened her seat belt, and stepped outside.
The afternoon breeze gently lifted the hem of her gown as she walked toward the edge of the cliff.
Mark quietly followed, stopping a few steps behind her.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply listened to the wind.
Hannah closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a slow breath.
"I finally understand why I came here that day."
Mark remained silent, giving her all the time she needed.
She slowly turned around to face him.
A peaceful smile rested on her face.
Not forced.
Not painful.
Real.
"I finally got my closure."
Mark looked at her quietly.
For the first time since he’d met her, there wasn’t even a trace of sadness hidden in her smile.
His own lips curved upward.
"I’m happy for you."
"I know."
She laughed softly.
"And..."
She hesitated before taking a few slow steps toward him.
"...I also found something worth looking forward to."
Mark’s heartbeat quickened.
"Hannah..."
She stopped only an arm’s length away.
"The day I stood here... I thought I was only letting go of Eric."
She shook her head with a smile. "But I was wrong. I was making room in my heart for someone else."
Mark’s eyes widened. She looked directly into them.
"At first, I thought it was gratitude. For always standing beside me. For never asking for anything in return. For making me smile when I didn’t even want to."
She let out a quiet laugh. "But somewhere along the way... It became something more."
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Mark... I like you."
Before he could react, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Mark stood completely frozen. His mind had gone blank.
Hannah smiled nervously. "I know this probably feels sudden. And maybe it is. But my feelings aren’t born from loneliness. They’re not because I lost Eric."
She shook her head. "I’ve already let that part of my life go."
She looked into his stunned eyes. "I’m choosing you because... whenever I’m with you, I feel peaceful." Her voice softened.
"You don’t have to force yourself to like me. If someday you think you can..." She laughed awkwardly. "...then maybe—"
Before she could finish, Mark gently held her wrists.
"Hannah," she looked up.
He smiled, his eyes warmer than she’d ever seen.
"You really think... I’ve stayed by your side all this time out of sympathy?"
Hannah blinked.
Mark chuckled helplessly.
"I’ve loved you for much longer than you realize."
Her eyes slowly widened.
"You..."
Mark didn’t let her speak: "You wanted an answer, so here it is." Without waiting another second, Mark cupped the back of her head and claimed her lips, leaving Hannah breathless.